In 2015-16 Kobe had the highest salary in the league at $25 million.
He put up 17.5/4/3 with the 4th highest usage rate that year playing around 28 MPG. Shooting splits of 36/28/83 for the 7th lowest TS% in the league. Meanwhile, the lakers finished bottom of the West with a 17-65 record.
Looking at advanced metrics: 2nd worst plus minus per game, 4th worst defensive box plus minus, 7th lowest win shares and 2nd lowest WS/48 (both negative) and all of which are the worst among Lakers players that year.
I understand he was injured and it was a farewell tour but purely from a production relative to salary perspective is this the worst season by a player ever or would it still be better than e.g a star being injured all year or refusing to play but making the max.
It’s like you people don’t understand the Lakers were going full youth during Kobe’s last years and gave him the money because who the else were they were going to spend it on?
Russell Westbrook 2022 Lakers.
He was at one point, the worst player in the league. His negative impact was compounded by the minutes he was undeservingly getting.
He was a bad fit but worst player in the league? C’mon. There are players who don’t even get minutes.
Crazy that $25 million was the highest salary in the league and it wasn’t even that long ago. Now Giannis is signing for over $60 million.
Wonder how retired players feel like are they happy for the next generation or do people like Scottie end up bitter that they made less than league minimum
Bill Bradley was the highest paid player in the league as a rookie in 1968.
He averaged 8/3/3 on below average efficiency in the regular season and 6/1/0 in the playoffs.
Barkley’s 1 million so the Rockets could sign Pippen but that failed. You can argue it was worse the season after
The Dallas Mavericks traded for Davis Bertans who made 17 million to score 4.6 ppg in 10 mpg.
There are far worse contracts, but no one EVER mentions how useless the Bertans contract is for Dallas that is in win now mode
This is a good one. Nobody talks about how bad the Porzingis for Dinwiddie/Bertans trade was for the Mavs
the team around Kobe that year was awful
It’s gotta be Mozgov, Luol Deng, or Gilbert Arenas right?
Oliver Miller was paid actual money to play professional basketball
Ben Simmons the last three years
I love Udonis Haslem, my second favorite Heat player of all time, but man got paid millions for elite 6-7 years for doing nothing lol
Giannis making 60+ a year. Insane that the highest was 25 less than a decade ago.